The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar Essay Research

The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar Essay, Research Paper

Shakespeare, William

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

The Playwright and His Times:

The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, was written by William

Shakespeare. He was baptized on April 26, 1564 in Stratford-on-

Avon, which was a small town some hundred miles from London. It is

believed that he was born a few days before he was baptized so his

birthday is celebrated on April 23. Ironically he died on that date in

1616. During Shakespeare’s time he married a woman named Anne

Hathaway. They gave birth to a total of three children. By the year

1592 he became a playwright and actor. In Shakespearean time only

men could be actors. Shakespeare’s plays were written in modern

English. His plays and sonnets did not become popular until after his

death. “He died at the age of fifty two and was burned in the church

of Stratford where his grave is still visible to this day (#622) “.

Shakespeare was inspired to write The Tragedy of Julius Caesar after

reading of him in Sir Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives

of the Noble Grecians and Romans.

Form, Structure, and Plot:

The play is organized into five acts and each act is divided into

numerous scenes. The main technique of the play is a chronological

order of events. There is scene when Calpurhina dreams of Caesar’s

death. This serves as an omen, also know as foreshadowing. The plot

of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is simple.

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exposition- The play begins on a street in Rome where two tribunes

tell commoners to go home and to stop celebrating Caesar’s victory

over Pompey.

initial incident- Cassius , Casca and Cinna plot to kill Caesar because

they do not want him to be the king and hold more power then he

already has.

rising action- Casca, Cinna, Trebonius, Decius Brutus, Metellus Cimber

and Cais Ligarius go to Brutus to get him to join them in the slaying of

Caesar. They think that if they have him on their side, it makes what

they plan to do right.

crisis/climax- At the capitol Caesar is slain by the conspirators.

falling action- Brutus and Cassius gather together an army and there

is a civil war against Octavius and Mark Antony’s armies. Cassius and

Brutus die to suicide. Order is restored to Rome and Octavius says

the final words of the play.

Characters:

Julius Caesar is a loving husband, a devoted statesman, and a

trusting friend. Childless and deaf in one ear, at home he is feeble and

superstitious, but a very kind man. At work he is strong, powerful, and

stubborn. He lets power go to his head and suffers for it. He is one

of the protagonists of the play. “To speak truth of Caesar, I have not

known when his affections swayed more than his reason” ( II, i, 19-21).

Brutus is “the noblest Roman of them all” (V.v.68). A devoted

stoic, he always puts the good of the state first. Also a good husband

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and an accomplished orator, Brutus is too trusting, and learns his

lesson the hard way. Brutus to is the other protagonist of the play.

Mark Antony is always man number two. He is great to have as a

friend and bad to have as an enemy. He is not as bright or honest as

Brutus, he is the most passionate character of the play.

Cassius is a sly and cynical manipulator. He betrays Caesar for

personal motivations. Although he has “a lean and hungry look”

(I.ii.194) in the end he too is shown to be a human being worth

empathy.

Octavius is the soulless strong man who puts everything right in

the end. Caesar may have been ambitious, but at least he had a family,

and a softer side. Octavius is a terse and single minded power seeker,

just the sort of thing necessary to get things back in order after a

civil war.

Setting:

The play begins in Act I, scene i, where Flavius and Marullus, two

tribunes, join commoners that are “crowded on a street corner in

Rome. The street is lined with statues” (#632 Elements of Literature).

They question them on why they are not in there work clothes. The

commoners reply that they have taken the day off to rejoice in

Caesar’s victory over Pompey. The commoners are then told to go

home and feel sorry for dishonoring Pompey’s memory. In Flavius’

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final state he says that they should do something to humble Caesar or

else he would but himself so high above the people that he would make

them slaves. This is an omen for things to come, because something is

indeed done about Caesar in the middle of the play when he is slain to

death by the conspirators. Most of the play takes place throughout

Rome, however some scenes occur in near Sardis and Philippi.

Themes:

Misuse of power, friendship and fate are some of the different

themes in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The major theme of Julius

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